Nancy and I flew to California last week and changed planes in Austin. We left BWI at O dark 30, and it was breakfast taco time when we landed in Austin. The airport is blessed with a Salt Lick outpost, and the Salt Lick makes good brisket. I’ve been to the original Salt Lick out in the hills in Driftwood, Texas, which is situated right next to Hellandgone. Nancy and I went to a rehearsal dinner there about 10 years ago. It was a great dinner, with excellent brisket and some memorable jalapeño poppers.
At the airport, I got the brisket and egg breakfast taco and a sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla (they stress its portability).
The brisket itself tasted very good. It was moist and had a nice smoky flavor. My only criticism flows from the fact that beef and scrambled eggs don’t go as well together as pork (bacon, sausage, ham, barbecue) and scrambled eggs.* After the meal, I was skeptical of the very concept. I was more critical of the Salt Lick’s brisket and eggs combination after Michael Boyd made some scrambled eggs and leftover steak while we were in California. The beef and eggs really melded, and it the dish was delicious.
The Salt Lick sausage was poor by the usually high standards of Texas sausage. It was a touch reminiscent of a hot dog. The tortilla in which it was wrapped, however, was much better than those served in DC. It wasn’t hand-made, but it had some real substance.
Nancy made a better choice by going to Maudie’s Tex Mex for a couple of egg, potato and cheese tacos accompanied by a very good salsa. Tex Mex food really lends itself to breakfast. On the other hand, breakfast is never really the strong point of a barbecue place and, breakfast aside, I recommend the Salt Lick in the Austin Airport. For lunch or dinner or just a snack, stop there and get some brisket. You’ll like it.
* Fried eggs, of course, go with virtually everything.
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